And For All Those Video Interviews With English Subtitles !

Sep 28, 2015

People, colors, landscapes. A journey with the orchestra of André Rieu is
never boring. Since 1991 Alina-Lin Jong has been a violinist in the world
famous orchestra. Many impressions she experiences during the journeys she
translates into colorful paintings with quirky abstracts. For Saturday and
Sunday the Wynja studio will combine paintings, sculptures and music in an
extraordinary triptych exhibition. In addition to paintings by Alina Lin there
will also be sculptures by Trudy Steegh. The exhibition starts with the third
form of art: music. Accompanied on the piano by her partner Ruud Merx, Alina Lin
will perform concerts on both days.

While studying at the Conservatory of Maastricht, Alina Lin joined Rieu's
orchestra through one of her classmates. "Back then we were only with thirteen
musicians. We rehearsed weekly and had a couple of gigs a year in Limburg." The
orchestra broke through in 1994 with the Second Waltz by Dmitri Shostakovich, it
became a hit and since then, the orchestra travels all over the world. "We just
returned from South America. Santiago had four sold-out concerts and in Lima
17.000 people attended a concert . "You can make people happy with music
everywhere", she says. "Critics do not find the Rieu orchestra a classical
orchestra. That does not matter. It's not a competition. Many people experience
classical music as being heavy. We play a much more accessible, lighter
repertoire. And the audience is allowed to chat or dance. That's what makes it
so special."

Alina-Lin met her husband Ruud Merx in the orchestra. "He is the trombonist
who balances the trombone on his chin." Ruud will also be at the Wynja studio to
accompany his wife on the piano. On Saturday and Sunday they will perform a
concert of about an hour. The program remains a surprise. "It is a light
repertoire and we are taking a small world trip. Ruud is quite excited about it.
And: one is allowed to sing along." In addition to her part-time job with André Rieu's Johann Strauss Orchestra,
Alina Lin paints. "It's for relaxation. I love color and shape. Sometimes
something unaware of my travels appears in the paintings. "In fact an Australian
soprano discovered a lane from Brisbane in one of the paintings. "It is very
nice to hear that people recognize something."

During the exhibition Trudy Steegh will show sculptures which exude a sense
of security, belonging and power. She captures emotions in stone. Her sculptures
show people's important emotional moments. Intimate, loving and with a melancholy
character. Trudy works from her own emotions and spirituality. Stone, perception and intuition are for her the guidance for a figurative
design 'which make you ponder for a while.' Picture: Sietse - Thank you to John for the Translation and Benny Geets for sending the article.

Following in the footsteps of Marc and having her work on display in her daddy's gallery, how sweet! They really are like family, so alike xx. Hope to see your wonderful paintings for myself one day, maybe combined Marc and Lin exposition during Vrijthof concerts?? Lin is clearly a very talented painter, not one but two new van Goughs! Best wishes from Twilky Browns.